Tottenham Hotspur will battle Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon in a fixture that is starting to feel like a Premier League rivalry with how much VIlla have nipped at Spurs heels and even exceeded them in the last two seasons, becoming a fixture in European football while Spurs toil in 17th. But the proud Aston Villa declarations that they have replaced the Lilywhites in the Big Six have fallen on deaf ears, and seeking their first win of the 2026/27 Premier League season under Roberto De Zerbi, Spurs have a huge chance to make a statement this weekend.
Aiding them will be the returns of three high profile players for the match, as De Zerbi confirmed to reporters before the game, via The Spurs Web, that Sandro Tonali, Pedro Porro, and James Maddison will all indeed be available for the Lilywhites against Villa.
The Italian manager said, "Porro, Tonali, Maddison, all are available to play. We have to understand the situation in terms of physical condition but all of them are ready."
Tottenham may not start all of them, though
The bad news is that Tottenham Hotspur's manager is not confirming that Porro, Madders, and Tonali will be available to play the full 90 minutes, but the great news is that they are all ready to be in the squad and going to play some role.
Their returns are not a surprise, of course. After missing the last two games, Roberto De Zerbi had already said that Pedro Porro would be back, and this is just confirmation of that. Given how poorly Archie Gray has played at right back, Porro's return to the starting lineup can't come soon enough, and after being held out to get fully fit, it would be a surprise if he didn't start.
Spurs are still waiting for James Maddison's first start since the end of the 2024/25 season when he tore his ACL. Madders was the best player on the pitch in the second half when he came in for Tottenham vs. Liverpool, creating all the chances that the Lilywhites could not over the last several weeks. Even if he still can't start, having him on the pitch for a good 30 minutes would be game changing against Aston Villa.
As for Sandro Tonali, he missed the Liverpool match with a late knock. De Zerbi, as with Porro, had already said the Italian international would be available, but hearing further confirmation honestly makes it even more likely he will return to the starting lineup next to Mateus Fernandes or Rodrigo Bentancur at the base of the midfield.
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